NA

Overall I was disappointed with this book. It had gotten good reviews in several places that I trust so I hunted it down on Paperbackswap.com. I am certainly glad that I didn't pay for this book!

The book starts off with one long whine about how he has trouble getting his personal computer technology to work for him. Even his friend, Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web), can't get it to work. Fine, then lets move on! Instead it's instance after instance of where technology fails us humans. He does have a point, but it seems scattered about. Then it's a long list of what computers *should* be doing for us, and he believes we currently have the technology to make these things happen.....until he later admits that some of the essential pieces for stability are still missing. It is at this point that makes several rather specious comments about how, if we hook up in a human-centered way worldwide, people in India can help us uptight westerners relax. He seems to think that an Indian woman living in a remote village can offer counseling to western women!

He does make a very valid point early on when he talks about the bloated operating systems our computers use today (Mac, Windows, etc.). These systems started very simply but they grew by applying more code to the basic system. Small things that don't do very much and aren't used by many people at all are added anyway because the engineers fall in love with their project. Even a simple widget can add a large degree of complexity. Because of this, the systems have ceased being flexible and true innovation is no longer possible. An entirely new way of programming is needed.

The book truly gets interesting only in the last quarter where he talks about the project he is working on: Oxygen. He details the various pieces and platforms that are being developed. There is true promise, but so far the innovation is occurring only in the small experimental environment he is working in.

Note: Although this review was written in the present tense, it should be noted that the author died August 2001. ( )

A non-technical view from MIT of what's wrong with today's infosphere and how it might improve in the relatively near future.